Method of making buffing wheels



Oct. 16, 1951 G. A. LYON 2,571,148

METHOD OF MAKING BUFFING WHEELS Filed Sept 16, 1950 J fiewyeAZerlLyaa 1o M46, 7 352 15 Patented Oct. 16, 1951 UNI T ED S TAT E S PATEN T 7 OFFICE Y METHOD OF MAKING BUFFING WHEELS George Albert Lyon, Detroit, Mich. Application September 16, 1950, Serial No. 185',304

' 2'Claims. (01. 51-193) This invention relates to a method of making an abrading wheel andm'or'e particularly to a bufiing wheel of'the type having lapped layers of cloth.

'An object of this invention is to provide a method of making an improved and simplified form of @bufling wheel whereby the wheel can be economically manufactured from a continuous strip of bumng material as distinguished from annular discs of buffing material now commonly used in commercial forms of buffing wheels.

Another object of the invention is to provide a method of winding strip buff material in a spiral groove on a whee'lbya cable in such a way that the material is'bulged and pinched around the cable as the cable andbuff material is tightly drawn into the groove of the wheel.

In accordance witht-he general features ofthis "invention there is provided in a method of making a buffing wheel out of a strip of lapped material folded about a cable for securing the strip in a peripheral spiralgroove of a wheel, the steps of stitching layers of buffing material along two substantially parallel spaced lines at a generally medial area in a continuous strip of the material, the stitching being generally parallel to the edges of the strip, applying a winding cable to the strip between said lines of stitching, winding the strip and cable into the spiral wheel groove, and contemporaneously folding the sides of the strip about the cable in the groove while crowding and bulging excess material at the fold, over the cable so that the cable is substantially enveloped by the folded material.

Another feature of the invention relates in using the cable and the bulged material between the legs of the folded strip extending radially from the cable to form an air space between the folded legs for assisting in the cooling of the bufling material.

Other objects and features of this invention will more fully appear from the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing which illustrates a single embodiment thereof and in which:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary plan View of a strip of lapped bufilng material with parallel lines of stitching at its medial area and showing a cable located between the parallel lines;

Figure 2 is a fragmentary cross-sectional View lengthwise of the strip shown in Figure 1 and showing the lapping or tucked folds of the strip;

Figure 3 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view through a portion of a spiral groove in a wheel and showing the cable in the process of folding suitable wheel can-"be-employed having such 'a groove in its periphery, "although my invention is particularly useful iii-conjunction with a wheel such as that shown in my copending application Serial No. 135,675,1filed December 29,1949.

The reference character It] designates generally a continuous strip of buff material such as is commonly used in bu'fiing and polishing wheels at the present time. For illustration, this strip can be made of a cotton drill material cut on the bias, as is conventional practice in the buff art.

The strip is made up of a multiplicity of layers such, for illustration, as three or four formed into a plurality of laps or tucks ll (Figure 2). Any conventional tucking machine may be used for this purpose.

In accordance with the features of this invention I have first stitched the strip lengthwise and across the laps or folds to provide two parallel lines of stitching l2-l2 (Figure 1) located generally at the medial or middle area of the strip. Any suitable sewing machine may be used for the purpose of applying these parallel lines of stitching to the strip l0.

Then, in accordance with the next step of my method, I align the strip with the cable I3 so that the cable will be parallel to or between the two lines of stitching I2l2. The cable I3 is preferably a twisted wire strand cable and is adapted to have one end anchored by any suitable means to a wheel 15 provided on its outer periphery with a spiral groove [6. In other words, the cable is anchored to the wheel in a position to enter the groove l6, as shown in my co-pending patent application. The periphery of thiswheel can be given any desired contour consistent with the peripheral shape of the ultimate bufiing surface desired.

Then the cable is progressively wound in the groov l6 along with the strip I0. In the course of this winding, as shown in Figure 3, the medial portion of the strip between the lines of stitching l2l2 is folded and forced into the groove Is by the cable and the side legs 20 of the folded strip are brought toward each other until the folded portion I8 of the strip is completely in the groove, as shown in Figure 4.

Now, in the course of this folding or bending of the strip at its medial portion, the side of the strip facing the cable is bent on a shorter radius than that of the outermost surface of the folded portion l8, and as a consequence, excess material is squeezed or bulged at l9l9 from the legs of the fold over the cable.

By the time the cable and the folded strip are completely in the groove, the bulged portions l9l9 immediately inside the stitching l2-i2 will have been pinched together over the top of the cable so that the cable is substantially enveloped all around its cylindrical surface by the material of the strip. I find that this is very advantageous in that the material locks itself to the cable without the necessity of having any stitching at the locale of the bulged portions |9I9.

In other words, it was first thought that the strip would have to be folded around the cable and stitched thereto at the areas l9l9, but I find that these operations can be eliminated. This means that the winding of the cable itself serves as the means for folding the strip and also of firmly securing the folded strip in position with the side legs 20-20 of the strip projecting generally radially from the wheel (Figure 4).

It will be appreciated that the extremities 2|--2l of the strip legs 20-20 constitute the bufling surface of the wheel and since the strip is tightly anchored in the spiral groove l6, such surface follows the peripheral contour of the wheel.

In addition, I find that the bulged portions l9l9 tend to separate the legs 20-20 at their junction with the cable so that an air space is provided at 22 between the legs through which air 4 can circulate for cooling purposes in the use of the buffing wheel.

It will be understood that modifications and variations may be effected without departing from the scope of the novel concepts of the present invention.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a method of making a bufling wheel out of a strip of buffing material folded about a cable for securing the strip in a peripheral spiral groove of a wheel, the steps of stitching layers of buffing material along two substantially parallel lines at a general medial area in a continuous strip of the material, applying a winding cable to the strip between said lines of stitching, winding said strip and cable into the spiral wheel groove and contemporaneously folding the sides of the strip about the cable in the groove while crowding and bulging the excess material, due to the folding of the strip, over the cable so that the cable is substantially enveloped by the folded material in the groove.

2. In a method of making a bufifing wheel out of a strip of bufiing material folded about a cable for securing the strip in a peripheral spiral groove of a wheel, the steps of stitching lappedlayers of bufling material along two substantially parallel lines at a general medial area in a continuous strip of the material, applying a winding cable to the strip between said lines of stitching, winding said strip and cable into the spiral wheel groove and contemporaneously folding the sides of the strip about the cable in the groove while cro'wding and bulging the excess material, due to the folding of the strip, over the cable so that the cable is substantially enveloped by the folded material in the groove, the excess material being pinched together from both sides of the fold over the cable and spacing the folded legs to define an air passage between the legs for assisting in cooling the bufling material in use.

GEORGE ALBERT LYON.

No references cited. 

